


Easy To Read

by when_you_know_you_know



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Action, CIA AU, F/F, Vulnerability, chloe's young daughter, protective beca
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2021-01-13 03:37:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21237536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/when_you_know_you_know/pseuds/when_you_know_you_know
Summary: CIA Operative Beca Mitchell fights to save her new Senior Officer's daughter...(Taken from Season 10 of Spooks)





	1. Part 1

“See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Beca replied in a distracted tone, and she leant back in her seat, watching her friend and colleague - computer analyst Stacie Conrad - stride out of the large office after a hectic day in the CIA. Nothing was more annoying than having a suspected terrorist escape from their clutches. But unfortunately that was how today had turned out.

Beca found her gaze drifting across the room to the desk where her new senior officer sat. The redhead - Chloe Beale - was sat up straight, sorting her files out and locking them in her desk draw ready for the morning. Today probably hadn’t been the best day of the woman’s career and Beca knew all too well how difficult it was starting in a new city, least of all as leader of a team who may or may not respect you because you‘re a good looking young woman.

Before she knew what was happening, Beca found herself rising to her feet and making her way over to the redhead, her stomach knotting slightly at their first encounter one on one. She’d be lying if she hadn’t found herself attracted to the beautiful woman. Chloe would be straight - Beca was sure of that - but there was no harm in attempting a bit of warm friendly flirting to hopefully lighten the mood after a hard day.

“Why do we do it?”

Chloe blinked out of her thoughts at the sound of the voice and looked up to see one of her new colleagues, Beca, stood before her with a soft smile on her face. She’d just been thinking back to the man she’d had no choice but to shoot earlier that day. He’d been running from them after attempting to assassinate a politician, but just as Chloe had reached him, fully prepared to negotiate with him, he’d pulled his gun out to shoot her…but she’d shot him first in defence.

Her first kill in three years. It wasn’t something she was proud of.

“Hmm?” Chloe asked, not overly sure what Beca was insinuating.

“This job.”

Chloe saw the smile poking at the corners of Beca’s mouth. The woman was flirting with her, she could tell. So Chloe decided to play ball, and sat back in her chair with a curious small smile.

“You first.”

Beca’s smile grew and she rose her eyebrows shrugging briefly:

“I actually enjoy it. But there’s probably something wrong with me.”

“Probably?” Chloe asked jokingly, insinuating that there was definitely something wrong with Beca. And it served to cause a chuckle to fall from Beca’s mouth. The brunette paused, looking at her new colleague with intrigue. This was going well. Perhaps the decision to flirt a little had been a good one? Perhaps she could push it a tiny bit further..?

“Let me guess what your evening has in store.” Beca began, enjoying the way she held Chloe’s attention. There was a sparkle in the woman’s bright blue eyes and it had Beca feeling more confident. This was going _really_ well.

“You’re gonna go home to your spotless, minimalist apartment. Steamed fish for dinner, then brush up on your Ukrainian economic history, a quick thousand abdominal crunches-”

Chloe sat back in her chair, a small amused smile on her face while her eyebrows rose at how her colleague was describing her expected evening. It was almost _exactly_ how her evenings had been back when she’d been in college. Chloe had to admit, she was somewhat impressed - not that she’d ever show it.

“-and then your usual, what, three hours sleep?”

To Beca’s delight, she saw her senior colleague smile gently at her, and her heart skipped a beat.

“I guess I must be pretty easy to read.” Chloe said in an impressed tone, slowly rising from her desk and gathering her keys and phone.

Beca’s smile grew as Chloe gave her one final fleeting glance before striding away and out of the office. The brunette leant against the woman’s desk with a contented sigh. Her colleagues had dubbed their new senior officer ‘ice queen’ for her steely demeanour and no nonsense approach to leading the team. But Beca wanted to believe that behind that closed-off personality, there was a woman capable of becoming friends with her. After all, Chloe was _so_ beautiful. And Beca was a sucker for beautiful women.

That interaction just now? Beca hoped it would be the start of a valuable partnership at work, and a valuable friendship out of work. Chloe was already letting her in…or so Beca thought.

—

Chloe strode up to the front door of her small house, keys in hand as she swiftly unlocked it and stepped inside. She let out a tired sigh, hanging her coat on a coat hook and placing her keys and phone on the side.

The sight of the man she had shot earlier that day was still burnt in her brain. The lead up to and the actual action of killing him replayed in her mind over and over.

Chloe wandered over to a long mirror by the staircase and looked at her reflection. Now in her mid-thirties she’d shot through the ranks within the CIA. Not bad for a woman of her age who had taken a year out of her training for personal reasons a few years ago.

But as she stared at her reflection she saw nothing but a failure. She shouldn’t have shot that terrorist dead. She should’ve injured him. They could’ve taken him in for questioning. Beca had been so kind - too kind really, considering Chloe had overheard a couple of members of the team referring to her as an ‘ice queen’.

Tears tainted the redheads eyes and one dared to slip down her cheek as she looked at her reflection staring back at her in disappointment. Chloe was used to not being liked. She didn’t go to work to be liked. She was sharp and straight-talking to get good results from her team. It had worked before, it’d work again with this new department. It was what made her so good at her job.

But for a very short moment as she was getting ready to leave work earlier, Beca had given Chloe the tiniest glimpse of hope that perhaps _someone_ in the world liked her. It was refreshing. Because Chloe kept herself to herself for a reason. Her private life private. It was to protect herself. To protect herself, her mother, and her-

“Mommy!”

Chloe jumped, quickly swiping at the tear on her cheek and sniffing sharply. She turned to see her five year old daughter dashing through towards her with a huge beaming smile on her face. Rosie, her pride and joy.

Chloe fell to her knees with a big smile, her arms outstretched, and she let out a light chuckle as her daughter threw herself into her embrace. As Rosie’s little arms wrapped tightly around her neck, Chloe squeezed her eyes shut. Rosie was who she did this all for. The only person in the world she trusted. Her and her own mother.

“I love you Mommy.” Rosie mumbled into her hair and Chloe let out a tiny gasp of joy, hardly able to believe how sweet her daughter was.

“Oh, God, I love you too sweetheart.”

The redhead opened her eyes to see her mother stood in the hallway a few paces away, smiling at them both with a soft affectionate expression. Chloe adored her little family, and couldn’t ever want to imagine a day that they might get in trouble due to her line of work. Line of work that was very dangerous at times. All it took was for the wrong people to find out her one weakness - her family..


	2. Part 2

“Beca??”

The tone of the name that came quivering through her earpiece had Beca’s heart hammering even harder as she manoevered her car round the corner with a handbrake turn, narrowly avoiding a street cat that was chancing one of its nine lives by crossing to the other side.

“_Becaaa_!” Chloe growled, Beca having assured Chloe she’d keep her updated on her whereabouts. But Beca sensed the fear in her colleague’s voice. A rarerity that was for sure.

“Almost there.” Beca replied in a distracted tone, glancing briefly at the navigation system installed on the dash of her company car. Two streets to go.

Chloe Beale - senior intelligence officer for a department in the CIA - was currently being held to ransom, phone in hand, whilst stood in the centre of a busy tourist spot in Washington DC. She’d been the only officer in the vicinity capable of reaching the terrorists in time. But just as she was about to confront them with the hope of stalling their attack on the capital until more CIA operatives arrived at the site, she’d received a phone call. One of the terrorists had picked her daughter up from school and was using the child as a ransom. Chloe was stuck between saving hundreds of lives or saving the one good thing in her life - her little girl.

Control were informing both Chloe and Beca via earpieces that backup was on the way, both to the tourist site and to the house that Rosie Beale had been tracked at. But Beca had decided she could get there first. So she’d driven faster than she’d ever done before towards the address provided by the team at Control.

All the while Chloe was having to watch a suicide bomber slowly approach her, the whites of his eyes staring at her in fear. The terrorist on the phone continued to talk to her, telling her all the reasons why they were doing what they were doing. Until three minutes ago when he’d ended the call, telling her if she moved, they’d detonate the bomb.

“_Please Beca_” Beca heard her colleague whisper, tears evident in the way she spoke. And it was that thought that had Beca careering round the corner onto the street of her target destination with as much speed and skill as she had done the other corners she’d driven round. This little mission right here was a simple one: get to Rosie and kill the terrorists in the house before the other terrorist detonates the bomb.

The brunette pulled the car to a sharp stop, being careful not to draw any attention, and made her way out of the vehicle over to a tall gate. There was no way she’d be clambering over that. Not because she couldn’t - despite her short stature she was nimble when it came to getting places, even in heels - but because it would draw attention. So after a quick glance she decided she’d shimmy over the wall nearby, entering the house through the back and hopefully avoiding detection.

“I’m here. Just going inside.”

Chloe’s eyes fluttered closed, trying to ignore the way her heart thumped fast against her chest while her mind began thinking of all the possible ways this could all end badly. The worst, of course, being that her daughter would be killed and Chloe would live. Because life would no longer be worth living if Rosie wasn’t in it.

“Backup _is_ on the way, Beca. Only a couple of minutes.” Control confirmed into the ear piece, and Chloe clenched her jaw. When her eyes opened she saw a red laser dot on the suicide bomber’s forehead. Snipers were in range. Which meant backup was finally here from HQ.

“I have a clear shot.” Chloe heard a new voice say through her earpiece, and her stomach twisted with dread. The terrorist couldn’t be shot just yet. If the terrorists with her daughter knew the bomb hadn’t detonated, they would kill Rosie. She couldn’t take that risk.

“No! Please. Don’t.” Chloe burst, a tear rolling down her cheek as her eyes flung open to stare at the terrorist before her.

“Chloe, we have to ensure this bomb doesn’t detonate.” She heard her head of department say in a serious tone to her through her earpiece.

“I-I know.” Chloe replied, her voice quaking in a way it had never done before - especially not while on a mission. “Just…give Beca a little more time.”

There wasn’t much time left. Chloe knew that. But she also knew that Beca was doing everything possible to get to Rosie as soon as she could. Beca was her most trusted colleague - which meant a lot considering Chloe Beale didn’t open up to anyone. She kept her private life very private. And it was _exactly_ for this reason - to protect her daughter. Though none of it seemed to matter now. Rosie had been kidnapped anyway.

Beca was the colleague Chloe trusted the most. The one she always took with her on missions or investigations. While they knew very little about one another’s private lives, at work they seemed to know everything - how the other ticked, what each facial expression meant without words. Amazing how a professional bond could be made in only eight months.

The redhead noted the digital clock that counted down the seconds until the bomb was due to detonate. One minute and ten seconds. Nine. Eight. Seven…

—

Beca kept a sharp eye on the environment around her, the cool metal of the silent shooter between her palms while she slowly crept through the back door of the small house. The kitchen she’d entered was tiny, grubby, a pile of unwashed plates and used mugs littered around the place in addition to old beer bottles and cans. There was a distinct smell of stale cigarettes and mouldy food. But she didn’t care about that right now. She had to find Rosie.

Beca listened hard for any signs of the dangerous men within the building. But all she could hear was the sound of a tv playing from a room at the front of the house. Then there were footsteps.

The brunette held her gun a little tighter, up in front of her with both hands, aiming it for the open door. And within a matter of seconds she had shot dead two of the terrorists holding Rosie captive, both having strode into the room bearing guns of their own.

Beca checked to see if they were breathing, then once she was sure they weren’t, she began slowly creeping down the hallway towards the front of the house. The sounds coming from the TV were that of a kids TV show, and Beca felt a wave of relief. At least Rosie was still alive.

“Thirty seconds.” she heard Chloe blub through her earpiece, and Beca’s stomach lurched. She didn’t have long. And what’s more, Chloe’s words confirmed that the redhead was stood with the bomb. As much as she wanted to provide words of encouragement. To let Chloe know that she was almost with Rosie and that everything would be okay, Beca had to remain silent so as not to draw attention to herself.

Suddenly a man casually walked into the hallway from the lounge and, upon seeing Beca and startling, he grappled with his gun that was stuffed into the back of his pants. But Beca was too quick and shot him square in the chest. The man fell to the floor, dead.

Beca took a deep breath to try to calm herself down. She had no idea how many terrorists were left in this house, but so long as Rosie was here and still alive, she didn’t care.

“Twenty seconds.” came Chloe’s voice down the earpiece and hearing the tone made Beca selfishly disappointed that she wasn’t with her senior colleague right now. It would be interesting to see such a vulnerable side to the mystery woman for once. Chloe was normally so steely. Closed off. Private. In fact, so private Beca hadn’t even know the woman had a child until it had been mentioned in her earpiece by their boss. Chloe’s tone had immediately changed and that was how Beca had known it was true.

“Backup’s arrived, Beca.” a voice from control informed through the earpiece.

With a deep breath, Beca brought her gun behind her back and gently pushed the door of the lounge open. She gripped the handle of the gun, ready for another person in the room who might attempt to kill her - or worse, Rosie.

To her relief, she saw nobody in the room but a little girl with long red hair, sat in front of a cartoon on the TV. _Rosie_.

—

“Ten seconds.” Chloe choked out, her chest having tightened long ago. Her eyes ached due to how hard she stared down at the bomb strapped to the terrorist’s chest, a large trench coat hiding it from view from most of the tourists milling around them. The numbers of the digital clock on the front of it were embarking on their final countdown. Eight. Seven. Six…

“I’ve got Rosie. She’s safe.”

As the words came through Chloe’s earpiece, clearly spoken by Beca, Chloe let out a huge heavy wail of relief. The go-ahead was immediately given by their boss, and Chloe watched as the terrorist was shot clean and silently where the red laser had been poised. The man’s body began to sink to the ground but he was caught either side by two large undercover CIA operatives, one expertly snipping the wires to the bomb, and they carried the man away as though nothing had happened.

Chloe stood rooted to the spot, her heart in her throat as she listened hard into her earpiece. Desperate to hear her little girl’s voice.

—

“I’ve got Rosie.” Beca said as she slowly approached the child, “She’s safe.”

Beca heard Chloe let out a wail of relief, followed by their boss’s orders to kill the terrorist. Beca smiled kindly as Rosie turned to look at her with some caution. She seemed to be a shy little girl.

“Hey.” Beca said in a calm voice, slipping her gun into the back of her pants, happy to let her guard down a bit while her colleagues stormed the little house. “You must be Rosie.”

The little girl nodded gently, looking up at Beca with her big blue eyes. Eyes Beca recognised as something she’d inherited from her mother. Along with her hair. In fact, Rosie was almost a carbon copy of her mother, except 30(?) years younger. And a slightly kinder expression.

“I’m Beca. I’m a friend of your Mommy’s.”

“Hi Beca.”

As Rosie continued to look up at her, Beca could hear Chloe sobbing through the earpiece. She could only imagine the relief her colleague must feel finally hearing her daughter’s voice.

There was an innocence to Rosie’s expression that was unlike Chloe’s - signs that the world hadn’t treated her badly like it had her mother - and as Beca took a seat on the floor beside Rosie, she wondered what the hell Chloe had been through to make her become the guarded person she was today.

“So what’re we watching?” Beca asked conversationally, wanting the kid to trust her.

“Spongebob Squarepants.” Rosie piped up, now transfixed on the screen again.

Beca could hear movement, shuffling, and chatter from her colleagues in the hallway outside the room. But she didn’t leave to see how they were getting on with the dead bodies or whether they’d found anything in any of the rooms upstairs. No, there was no way she was leaving Rosie’s side until she saw the little girl back safely with her mother.

“Control, please uh…” Beca heard Chloe saying through her earpiece, the woman pausing to sniff loudly, “please give agent Mitchell coordinates to my home address so she can bring my daughter home.”

Beca’s mouth went a bit dry. Wow, Chloe’s _home_?? She never in a million years expected to see that. Ever.

“Copy that.” came a voice from control and just as Beca felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, she thought about the route she and Rosie would have to take to get out of the house.

“Chloe, I’ll wait until there’s a clear route then leave with Rosie.”

—

“Chloe, I’ll wait until there’s a clear route then leave with Rosie.”

Chloe took a huge breath of relief, a tiny smile poking on her face at her colleagues words spoken through her earpiece. Thank God for Beca Mitchell. And she’d thank Beca in person once she’d brought Rosie home.


	3. Part 3

Beca pulled up to the address she’d been given. She had to give it to Chloe, she’d found herself a nice looking neighbourhood to live in. Not that the woman was there half as much as Beca knew Chloe wished she was. She turned in her seat slightly as she turned off the ignition of her car and looked at the little girl who sat innocently in the back seat.

Rosie had no idea what sort of danger she’d been in. That the man who had picked her up from school _hadn’t_ actually been a friend of Mommy’s but a terrorist. Even as Beca thought about it she realised just how absurd it sounded. But the kid was safe now. Beca had got there just in time. And she smiled at Rosie as the five year old swung her legs slightly on top of the booster seat which the brunette always had in the trunk of her car on the rare occasion her sister popped by with Beca’s little nephew.

As Beca unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car she wondered what sort of state Chloe was going to be in when she saw her. The last tone she’d heard her colleague talk in was a tone Beca had never heard before. Chloe sounded as though she had been noticeably shaken by the event.

Beca slammed the door of her car particularly hard, knowing full well Chloe would be listening out for any sign that her daughter might be home. As she opened the passenger door, she watched protectively as the little girl held a hand out to help her slide out of the car. Rosie’s hand felt so tiny in Beca’s and as she landed beside the woman, Beca shut the door behind her before placing a hand protectively on the little girl’s shoulder. She’d almost got her home, but not quite yet.

As they walked over to the sidewalk, Beca heard a front door opening and she looked up to see the familiar figure of her colleague running down the steps of her house towards her little girl who had held her arms out expectantly. Beca’s smile softened to one of sympathy as she watched Chloe wrap her arms tightly around Rosie, the look on her face that of a woman who had thought she’d lost everything.

For a fleeting moment Beca hesitated, feeling nervous that she was seeing this side to her senior colleague for the first time. Seeing a sense of venerability that Chloe simply never showed. As Chloe’s eyes glanced up towards Beca, she strengthened again, her emotions becoming boxed up and she scooped her daughter up and walked back into the house. She’d locked her emotions away again in a heartbeat.

Beca followed, after all she was left holding Rosie’s school bags and she presumed the girl would need them. Beca made to follow them into the house but hesitated at the front door, not entirely sure if Chloe wanted her to come into the house. After all it was her place away from work. Her secret place. There had always been a reason why no one knew where she lived and that was because she’d never given out her address. Beca always supposed it was a way of Chloe keeping her private life separate to her work. If she saw her in her house it would eradicate the boundaries. Her home would no longer feel like home, but more like work. So Beca stood and waited to find out if she was or wasn’t invited in.

—

Chloe brought her daughter into the living room, placing her on the couch and feeling slightly empty as she watched the five year old wriggle out of her arms and run over to turn the TV on. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Rosie, worried that if she stopped watching her she might disappear again. _Disappear_. She rolled her eyes as she thought about the word, as though Rosie had ran away. Kidnapped was the word she should be using. She would be having a very serious discussion with the head teacher of her daughter’s school about the method of picking up and dropping off children. There must be a more secure way.

Chloe’s thoughts suddenly drifted to her mother, the woman who’d been given the responsibility to pick Rosie up. Why hadn’t she heard from her yet? After all, if her mother had been at the school surely she would be inquiring as to the whereabouts of her Granddaughter? For a moment Chloe’s heart dropped, her mind wondering if the terrorists had captured her…or worse…

She reached over to the coffee table as she watched Rosie dancing along to the TV, and quickly collected the home phone, clicking on a speed-dial number and calling it, her heart skipping a beat as she heard her mother speaking down the phone in a relaxed voice.

“Mom? It’s me. Where are you??” Chloe gushed in a quiet tone, not wanting to draw Rosie’s attention to the fact that she was panicking.

Chloe sat back on the couch, pushing her long flowing red hair back and letting out a sigh as her mother explained that she was out at the Bingo with friends after receiving her text about not needing to pick Rosie up from school.

“Oh, right.” Chloe responded, her eyes fluttering closed while she brought her hand to her face, feeling stupid. She didn’t want her mother to worry. So she let out a sharp sigh then looked to the window, “Well I’m home early so you don’t need to worry about rushing back. I’ll see you later Mom.”

Chloe shook her head as she placed the phone back down on the table. So the terrorist had somehow managed to send a message to her mother seemingly from her to tell her not to worry about picking Rosie up. So much for trying to keep her personal life separate from work, for attempting to keep her mother and daughter away from danger. What a mess.

“Mommyyyyy?”

Chloe looked over at her daughter who looked back with a confused look on her face as Mickey Mouse pranced about on the TV behind her. The mother made a mental note to try and find a new programme for her daughter to become obsessed with.

“Yeah sweetie?”

“What about the lady?” Rosie asked, her big blue eyes blinking at her.

Chloe’s heart sank. Beca had told her that Rosie hadn’t seen the dead body in the terrorist’s house. Had the body been a female? Chloe began to panic. What could she possibly say? That the lady had been sleeping? But she had no idea what state the body had been in after Beca had shot it, there might have been blood everywhere..

“What lady?”

Chloe watched, perplexed as her daughter turned her focus back on the TV, talking slowly as she paid no attention to what had just been said:

“You know, the _lady_…” Rosie said, beginning to sway to the music on the TV, “I cant remember her name…”

“Well I don’t know who you’re talking about, so if you cant remember her name then I can’t help.” Chloe replied, slowly rising up off the couch, “Did you want a juice?”

She began to make her way to the back of the room where the open plan kitchen stood but she paused as she heard her daughter’s words, “I _meeean_, the lady who brought me home!”

—

Beca stood patiently on the step leading up to the front door of the house. From what she could see of the interior it looked very Chloe. Plain, with the odd feminine touches here and there. She could hear the now familiar sound of Mickey Mouse coming from what she presumed was the TV indoors. She was surprised about how long she’d been standing there. Had Chloe expected her to follow her indoors? To close the door behind her and to follow her and Rosie into the living room? Maybe she’d just wanted Beca to leave the bags in the hallway and leave the house, closing the door on her way out?

Before thinking too much longer she watched as Chloe rushed into the hallway, looking at her as though she was surprised followed by relieved to still see her there. Beca saw the redhead take a deep breath before slowly walking towards her with an apologetic look on her face. In that moment Beca knew that Chloe had completely forgotten she was there. That she’d been so wrapped up in relief that her daughter was home and safe that it didn’t matter about anyone else. And in that moment Beca suddenly felt sad. Not a normal emotion that overtook her, after all she was never really close enough to anyone to feel sad about anything.

But over the months since Chloe had joined the CIA she’d felt an indescribable connection to her. Initially she’d been slightly overcome by her stunning features, sharp blue eyes, strong cheek bones, a slender figure, with beautiful long flowing red hair. Her attraction to Chloe had always clouded any dislike that other members of the team had first held for her competitive, often bossy and head strong approach to work. And it was possible this initial attraction had helped them form a strong working relationship. Beca was always quick to defend Chloe and in time Chloe had become quick to defend Beca. Both were the first to tell the other if they were doing something wrong and in time Beca had become used to Chloe’s appearance, to her workaholic nature, to her inability to reveal any feelings or emotion she might have, or her reluctance to reveal any of her past or personal life. She understood that things must have happened to Chloe in the past to make her this way, it wasn’t just the training given to trainee CIA agents. There was more to it than that. And for the first time in four months, as she stood on Chloe’s doorstep, having just spent the afternoon rescuing her daughter from danger, Beca hoped with her whole heart that Chloe might invite her in. Not only to her house, but also her heart. Even if it was just a little bit. It was the least she could do.

Beca shuffled her feet nervously as Chloe reached out and took the school bags, a small grateful smile on her face. The brunette forced a smile back as she watched her senior’s bright blue eyes stare into hers, as though she were desperately attempting to read her mind. Chloe cleared her throat and Beca prepared herself for a dismissal. But it never came.

“Would you like a beer?”

The words trickled out of Chloe’s mouth with a hint of nervousness and Beca had the feeling she hadn’t uttered those words to anyone in a long time. Rosie was proof that Chloe _had_ opened up to someone in her life once upon a time, but Beca wasn’t sure what the chances were of her ever finding out about Rosie’s Dad. With a sigh of relief Beca smiled.

“Definitely.”

—

Chloe heard the woman behind her close the large front door, and she passed the living room door, taking a glance inside just to check that Rosie was still there. True to form, the five year old was singing along to a song on the TV and Chloe couldn’t help the smile on her face. She loved her daughter so much. She was practically the only being on the planet that could bring a smile to her face, and that was one of the reasons why she loved her so.

Chloe continued through to the kitchen as she heard Beca shrug her coat off and hang it up on the coat stand. As she rounded the corner into the kitchen that opened up into the living room where Rosie sang, Chloe reached out to the fridge and pulled the door of the appliance open, standing perfectly still while peering inside, hoping that she did have the beer she’d just offered Beca. She strained her ears for any sign of her colleague but she couldn’t hear her.

Then all of a sudden out of the corner of her eye, she saw her approaching, leaning against the work surface beside her. Chloe promptly found a beer, closing the fridge door and holding it out to the woman. Beca’s fingers brushed over Chloe’s as the beer bottle was exchange and Chloe’s immediate reaction was to pull her hand away, but she didn’t. She wasn’t sure why. She just watched Beca in shock as both their hands held the bottle.

If this had happened at work she would’ve walked away by now, but being in her own home calmed her. _Relaxed_ her. Made her comfortable about being herself around someone else - something she’d struggled to do for so many years. And this was _Beca_. A woman who had noticed every flicker of emotion that she had ever accidentally revealed. Beca knew she was human, that she had feelings, that she had a past she desperately held onto as a secret. She knew all of these things without ever having to talk to her. And it was because of that that Chloe felt closer to Beca than any other person she’d ever worked with. Beca just seemed to always understand.

Chloe took a deep breath, her eyes baring into Beca’s deep blue eyes as the woman looked back at her. She could feel her heart begin to beat a little faster and, despite her brain telling her to look away, to not fall for the look Beca was giving her, she couldn’t tear her eyes from her gaze. It were looks like that that always got her into trouble. Male or female, Chloe had always found life a challenge when it came to falling for the wrong person…

Suddenly Chloe felt a firm pat on her hip, causing the woman to startle, and she immediately snapped her attention down to see her daughter looking up at her with her big blue eyes.

“Mommy, can I have a drink?” Rosie asked, and Chloe cleared her throat as she heard Beca walking to a different part of the kitchen with her beer. Chloe shrugged off the slight feeling of disappointment that a ‘moment’ between them had been ruined and raised her eyebrows at the little girl who looked up at her expectantly:

“You can if you use the magic word…” Chloe said seriously, heading for one of the draws that she knew held a bottle opener for her colleague.

“Pleeeeeeease?” Rosie asked in her little voice and the mother changed direction. Chloe stepped over to the sink, filling a yellow plastic cup with water, before holding it out to her daughter. The five year old quickly raced over to collect it. Chloe tried her hardest not too look over at her colleague, but her curiosity couldn’t resist knowing what look Beca had on her face. She glanced over at Beca as the woman smiled mock-excitably at Rosie who had shown her the cup with glee before running back into the living room.

Chloe couldn’t understand why she felt almost _excited_ about how well beca interacted with her daughter. It wasn’t like Rosie was ever going to see her after today, especially as Chloe wanted to keep work and anyone at work strictly away from her personal life. But…did she? Beca had already proved that she could look after Rosie, even if it _had_ only been for about an hour and a half. And Rosie was renowned for being a quiet, shy little girl around new people, but for some reason she felt comfortable enough around Beca to be the happy, chatty little girl Chloe knew and loved. Could Beca _really_ have what it took to be a part of their lives, even if it was just as a friend?

“Penny for them…?”

Chloe jumped as she heard the words leave Beca’s lips and she quickly turned to a draw to pull out the bottle opener whilst clearing her throat nervously. Why was she nervous? She _never_ got nervous. And as she held out the object, she tried to think of something to say:

“Here.” Chloe said, not wanting to be caught in Beca’s gaze again, so opting to stare down at the unopened beer instead.

“Thanks.” Beca replied, their fingers accidentally brushing again as Beca took the bottle opener to access her beer.

Chloe watched, inspecting Beca’s lips as they pursed together at the opening of the bottle to take a swig of the cool beer. Chloe was aware that she was staring, but she didn’t care, she was too tired to care. It had been a long, stressful day. One which had a happy ending thanks to the woman stood before her.

“So, do you have anyone to go home to?” Chloe blurted, immediately feeling a bit embarrassed to be so forward. She was never normally forward. “I mean, I have Rosie and usually my Mum…

She knew the question was a very personal one. One that, had the boot been on the other foot, she would’ve immediately closed up and dodged having to answer. She hesitated and the kitchen fell silent as Beca swallowed loudly. After letting out a little cough she smiled, and Chloe relaxed once again, relieved that Beca wasn’t going to run away.

“Nope,” came the reply, “just me. And a fish.

Beca watched in amusement as the woman across from her raised her eyebrows in intrigue and surprise. The brunette loved the way Chloe reacted to things almost emotionlessly with the exception of her eyebrows. She felt compelled to elaborate.

“My sister insisted on getting me something to keep me company, but as I’m not home enough to look after a dog or a cat she was kind enough to get me a fish.”

She watched as Chloe shuffled her feet, clearly pleased to have been fed some pieces of information about her personal life. Beca had to admit it was weird to have spent almost everyday of the past four months with her, but barely knowing her at all. She’d only found out she was a mother the week before last, when one of their work colleagues, Amy, indiscreetly blurted it out whilst venting her frustration with Chloe’s method of leadership.

“And what’s your fish’s name?” Chloe asked in intrigue.

“James…”

“As in..?”

“James Bond. Yeah.”

Beca’s heart skipped a beat as she heard Chloe let out a chuckle. A _rare_ chuckle. It was nice to see her looking so relaxed. She looked so beautiful when she was relaxed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Beca saw Rosie walk into the kitchen again with an unhappy look on her face, marching up to her mother and taking hold of her leg.

”Mommyyyyy, I’m hungry…”

Beca watched as Chloe looked up at the large clock above the kitchen door, the once relaxed look on the woman’s face turning stressed again, and she desperately wanted to make it disappear.

“Gosh its way past dinner time!” The redhead exclaimed, and Beca had to catch her breath for a moment as Chloe paced up to her quickly, reaching past her right arm for something on the work surface beside her. Beca froze, unable to remember a time when Chloe’d been this close to her. So close that the space they shared made everything seem intimate. The smell of Chloe’s perfume, something that always made Beca feel so comfortable, wafted over her as she inhaled slightly. She felt Chloe’s body grazing against hers as she pulled away from the work surface and held out a takeout menu.

From the look on her face Beca could tell her colleague hadn’t really taken any notice of that moment. Whether it was because Chloe couldn’t regard Beca as anything more than a work colleague, or whether she’d noticed the tension but refused to act on it, or maybe because Beca was being a complete fool still overcome by Chloe’s beauty from the first time she’d met her all those months ago she wasn’t sure. Beca watched Chloe pick up the home phone as Rosie followed her about the room excitably yelling 'Pizzaaaa!’

With a sigh, Beca placed her bottle of beer down, not wanting to disturb their evening any more. She wasn’t even sure why she was still there. Why had she agreed to a beer? She was tired.

Usually she’d jump at the chance of going home early, of settling down in front of the TV with a couple of beers before going to bed. But instead she’d jumped at the chance of taking Rosie home, wanting to be the one to take her, not some police officer in the back of their car. Wanting to be the one to return her to her mother - the possibility of Chloe inviting her into her house being too good an opportunity to miss.

“B, do you like pineapple?”

Beca spun out of her thoughts, surprised by the new nickname, and looked over at the woman who had called over to her from the lounge, the home phone held against her chest as she paused relaying her order to the delivery company while she waited for Beca’s response. Chloe hesitated, sensing the confusion that had involuntarily wiped over Beca’s face, so she raised her eyebrows at her matter-of-factly:

“Don’t you dare think about leaving here without letting me buy you dinner, it’s the least I can do after all you’ve done today.”

Beca couldn’t help the smile that grew on her face as Chloe unknowingly told her off, having realised that she’d been close to leaving. As if having dinner with Chloe wasn’t enough of an excuse to stay, Rosie had done her bit at persuading Beca to have dinner. The look of excitement on the little girl’s face as she raced up to Beca and bounced enthusiastically in front of her was enough to make Beca’s heart melt.

“Are you going to have Pizza with us too Beca?” Rosie asked with a broad beaming smile on her face.

“Yeah kiddo,” Beca began, looking back up at Chloe whilst the redhead glanced _affectionately_ at them, takeout menu in hand, “looks like I am…”


	4. Part 4

“You know, Naomi…” Rosie said, picking at her slice of pizza thoughtfully.

Beca pulled her attention from the five year old on her right, to look questioningly at her colleague sat opposite her, and Chloe simply mouthed ‘_From school_’ with a soft smile on her face.

“…her Daddy has brown hair, but her Mommy has red hair like her.”

Beca had resumed her attention on Chloe’s daughter, wondering where this might be going.

“She says he eats _all_ the leftovers after _every_ dinner!” Rosie exclaims with a giggle, and both Beca and Chloe smile at the little girl. All until her next sentence, when Rosie looked up at Beca with her big blue eyes and said:

“So as Daddy of the house tonight, you gotta finish what’s left. Like this piece right here!”

Beca looked down at the crusty end of pizza Rosie held out to her. She would’ve been a little more put off by being handed a dry end of pizza if she wasn’t still hung up on the title Rosie had just given her. Did she really just call her the ‘_Daddy_’ of the house??

As she watched Chloe tell Rosie in a low tone not to handle food that people might eat, she could tell her colleague was just as surprised at what her daughter had said. But Beca couldn’t correct such an innocent little girl who didn’t really know that what she was saying would possibly make someone uncomfortable, so instead the brunette shrugged off the previous comment and smiled as she pulled the kid’s plate over to herself and began tucking into the little girl’s last slice of cold pizza, avoiding the originally offered crust that came with it.

She glanced from Rosie who looked up at her with glee, over to her mother who looked at Beca with the same relaxed smile she’d been wearing on her face for over an hour now. And the thought that Chloe felt comfortable around her made Beca feel very comfortable indeed.

—

Beca sat on the edge of the couch, jiggling her leg up and down up and down while she waited patiently for Chloe and Rosie to return downstairs. Apparently it was the little girl’s routine to get into her pyjamas after dinner and while Rosie kept begging Beca to join them upstairs so she could show her her bedroom, it was Chloe who had insisted that Beca stay downstairs. And Beca knew why.

Because Chloe wanted to keep some scrap of privacy from her colleague, despite inviting Beca into her home, and having her stay for dinner, and not correcting her daughter when Rosie has dubbed Beca ‘Daddy of the house’ for the night.. The more Beca thought about it the more she wondered if Chloe had ever had someone visit her house before. The way her daughter was acting, it would suggest not.

Suddenly, Rosie began jumping (from the sound of things) down every single stair, one at a time, counting loudly. And an amused smile graced Beca’s face as she looked out the door of the lounge. She had to admit, Rosie _was_ a cute kid. And as the little redhead hopped into view, Beca noticed she had a couple of kids storybooks in her hand

Shit. Beca was terrible with storytime.

She noticed Chloe skimming down the stairs behind her daughter with all the grace that matched her beauty, and Beca had to fight the lump in her throat. Because there was something so domestic in this: Chloe having been up to help her child get ready for bed; Beca reading a bedtime story to Chloe’s daughter.

Rosie smashed the two storybooks onto Beca’s lap and the brunette jumped at the contact. She watched the kid’s movements with amusement as Rosie scrambled up onto the couch beside her. And to her surprise (and low-key delight) Chloe took a seat on the other side of her daughter, looking down at the storybooks on Beca’s lap.

“_The Very Hungry Caterpillar._” Beca read, looking at the cover of the first book in her lap, and Rosie took it and opened it excitably.

“Yep!” She squeaked, “It’s my favourite!”

And Beca gulped. No pressure.

—

So it turned out not only was Beca a terrible story reader but Chloe was the most _perfect_ story reader, to counteract. Where Beca had practically attacked every word - focussing on not getting them wrong which would potentially ruin the story - Chloe had essentially _breathed_ each word in such a serene manner Beca was almost lulled to sleep herself. Which should’ve been impossible given that the other book the child had chosen had been ‘_The Cat In The Hat_’.

Fortunately, Chloe hadn’t commented on Beca’s reading technique and Rosie hadn’t seemed to notice the difference between her readers. Though by the time Chloe had finished ‘_The Cat In The Hat_’, the little girl had fallen asleep in Beca’s lap.

Beca felt safe and happy for the first time in a very very long time. And _wanted_. _Needed_.

“She’s out like a light.” Beca whispered with a grin, and she watched as that calm smile returned to Chloe’s face again, the redhead’s eyes on her daughter.

Beca gently followed Chloe along the landing and into a room that already had a lamp on expectantly. She tried to remain as calm as possible despite the shock she received as she entered the room and realised it wasn’t Rosie’s room at all, but _Chloe’s_. Beca presumed the little girl had her own room, but understood that perhaps just for tonight her colleague wanted to keep her daughter close to her, especially after today. She watched Chloe as she sat on the edge of the double bed, plumped up a couple of pillows, then opened up the duvet on the other side of the bed for her daughter.

Beca continued watching as the woman paused, before looking up at her with a tired smile. The brunette took that as her cue to walk around the bed and gently place the little girl in the space her mother had provided for her, which she did so with such caution, not wanting to wake the child in any way. As she let Rosie go and Chloe wrapped the duvet around her daughter Beca suddenly felt slightly empty, the weight having left her arms, while her colleague tenderly tucked Rosie up.

Beca found her eyes wandering away from the mother and daughter before her and over to the fireplace to her left, one which boasted a large pile of books that she wasn’t 100% sure that Chloe had ever got around to reading. All of a sudden her eyes fell upon a framed photo. The image showed a younger Chloe, looking fresh-faced and relaxed, stood cuddling up to a man who had his arm around her. Beca hadn’t seen this man in any other photo that had been scattered about the house here and there, but from the look of Chloe’s body position Beca got the feeling he was Rosie’s dad. They looked comfortable together and very happy.

Chloe couldn’t describe how she felt right now. The day had been a rollercoaster of emotions, from the beginning right to the very end. Now she was tired, and had run out of energy to keep her emotions in tact. She was so relieved that her daughter was safe, that she was in her bed right now, safe in her arms. She couldn’t express how grateful she was to Beca for all that she’d done today. For all that she’d done this evening. She’d been just what Rosie had needed. Just what _Chloe_ had needed. A caring woman to bring a little bit of balance to the house. The thought of Beca being that woman brought a small smile to Chloe’s face and she looked up at her briefly. Her heart dropped for a moment as she saw her colleague staring at that old photo she still kept on her fireplace. That photo of her with Rosie’s Dad. A photo that had been taken when Chloe was just six months pregnant. As she looked back down at her daughter, the smile that she’d given to Beca drifted away and she returned her focus to Rosie, all she had left of the man she’d once been so in love with.

She heard her colleague slowly walk out of the room with a sigh but she didn’t watch her go. She couldn’t. She could tell Beca had plenty of questions. Everyone always did the moment they found out she had a daughter. Wanting to know who and where the father was. How long they’d been together and what had happened to him. She’d spent years locking the information away. The information of personal memories, all her personal memories that were shut away so she could no longer be hurt by them.

As she heard Rosie’s heavy breathing, Chloe knew it was time to reluctantly let her daughter sleep in peace. So the woman gently lifted herself off the bed, silently wandering over to the door and looking over her shoulder at the little girl one last time. The noise of a coat being pulled off the coat stand brought her attention away from the contents of her bedroom. Her heart rate increased as she realised her colleague might be leaving. Why would Beca want to stay of course? She’d only stayed until now just to be polite, so she wouldn’t upset Rosie. But now Rosie was asleep she didn’t need to stay. Chloe would be fine. But Chloe _wasn’t_ fine, and as her feet led her down the stairs her eyes focused on the figure of the woman she’d spent most of the day and most of the evening with, reaching out for the front door and opening it. She froze, her voice getting caught in her throat as she whispered her name, hardly able to believe she was almost calling her back.

“Bee?”

Her heart skipped a beat as Beca looked back at her at the sound of the pet name, her deep blue eyes locking with Chloe’s. To the redhead’s relief she closed the door and slowly walked over to her.

“You should get some rest.” Beca said in a calm kind tone.

With each step Beca took Chloe found herself becoming closer and closer to tears. It had been such a long time since she’d had someone else in the house. As much as she needed a woman’s company in one sense, right now she needed a woman to comfort her, to just wrap her arms around her and tell her everything was going to be alright. Without realising, she found herself nodding in agreement to Beca’s suggestion, her heart catching in her mouth as her colleague stopped directly in front of her, inches from her body. Her eyes bore into Chloe’s so that Chloe had no time to think about the height difference, her feet automatically bringing her down to ground level - Beca’s heels giving her the slight height advantage.

Chloe’s blue eyes found their way to Beca’s lips, and as tempted as she was to kiss her, she held back, all too aware that her emotions were getting the better of her. In a sudden act of desperation she wound her arms around the woman’s neck, and held her tightly. The feel of Beca’s strong arms winding their way around Chloe’s small waist encouraged the pending tears to begin flowing from the mother’s eyes. As Beca squeezed her, Chloe sobbed into her neck, all the emotions she’d felt from the day emanating from her exhausted body to the one person she felt she trusted the most at this moment in time.

Beca had initially been caught by surprise. She was impressed it hadn’t happened sooner. Her colleague crying that was, not her colleague flinging herself into her arms. This was the sort of emotion she’d always known Chloe possessed, but one she could tell she’d always refused to reveal. As Beca wrapped her arms tighter around the redhead’s waist and buried her face further into her neck, she felt overwhelmed by the intimacy. The smell of Chloe’s hair and whatever products she seemed to use in it, the feel of her slim body against hers, Chloe’s arms wrapped tightly around her neck as though she never wanted her to go. Beca wasn’t entirely sure if all this emotion was just because of what had happened to Rosie, or if there were other things that had happened. Things that Chloe had had to push deep down to forget about. So she could stay strong for her daughter.

With a great deal of self-control Beca reluctantly reached up and un-peeled the vulnerable woman’s arms from around her neck to speak softly to her, “Come on, lets go into the lounge.”

She kept a hand held onto Chloe’s and to her surprise the woman didn’t pull away. Instead she watched Chloe’s eyes dart from one of her eyes to the other and back, as though she were trying to read her mind. As though she were trying to work out if she was right to trust her, or if she should come back to her senses, to put the defences back up again.

“Come on.”

Beca spoke softly again, hoping the redhead wouldn’t back away. And she didn’t. Beca took a deep breath as Chloe began making her way down the stairs, not letting go of her hand as she led her through to the lounge. They both sat on the sofa at the same time, Beca never taking his eyes off Chloe for fear that she may block her out again. It wasn’t often she was given the chance to be there for anyone, let alone someone she admired so much, someone who rarely let anyone into their life for a minute. But Chloe had been letting Beca into her life for the past _three hours. _She was slowly gaining her trust.

She could feel an unusual sensation on her hand and realised that Chloe’s hand was still gripped onto hers, the other hand reaching into her t-shirt sleeve and pulling out a tissue to wipe her nose with, before speaking shakily:

“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Don’t be silly.” Beca replied with a gentle smile.

Chloe looked into her eyes. Beca looked at her with such care and affection that it took Chloe all the strength she had left not to kiss her. No one had looked at her like that in a long time. Not since-

“You know you don’t always have to be so brave.” Beca mumbled affectionately. But Chloe took a deep breath and swallowed loudly.

“Yes I do.” she replied. She practically whispered the words that she couldn’t quite believe she was saying.

A small part of her knew she didn’t always have to be so brave, but she was never given the opportunity to let her guard down. Sure she’d spent many a night over the years crying herself to sleep. Many a night sat in her back garden staring up at the night sky and wondering who was looking back. But never had she had the opportunity to do what she’d just done. To be enveloped in a cuddle and to be given the silent permission to just cry. Chloe found her eyes wandering down to her hand that continued to hold onto Beca’s as the brunette’s fingertips caressed her fingertips soothingly. She’d missed this kind of affection. Just the little things. But the important things.

“I haven’t thanked you yet.” she added, “For saving Rosie.”

“No need to thank me.”

She watched as a small smile grew on Beca’s face. She’d always thought she had a nice smile. A reassuring smile. A warm smile. And then there were those eyes. Those deep blue eyes that given half the chance Chloe could get lost in. They were blue with the odd flecks of dark yellow in, which she’d never noticed before now. Then again, when had she had the chance to look into Beca’s eyes for a long period of time before? Right now it seemed there was no where else really to look because Beca’s eyes seemed so inviting. So _captivating_.

“Actually you’re lucky Stacie mentioned you were a Mom last week, or I would’ve had no idea who Rosie was let alone what an important part of your life she was.”

Chloe couldn’t help feeling awkward. She knew she was difficult and that it was rare for her to disclose any information about her private life to anyone, particularly colleagues. Chloe had had to delay her final year of special intelligence training after falling pregnant. Several months after giving birth, she returned to complete her final year and there she met Stacie who had been fast-tracked through the years after exceeding the high grades in all her exams, and her equally competitive nature had made her an ally during their final year. As far as Chloe had been aware the only colleagues who had known about Rosie was Stacie, Aubrey and their boss Harry, the latter two had read in her file that she had a daughter. 

As the previous months since joining the grid had passed, Chloe had grown closer to Beca than anyone else, which was hardly a compliment, as the closest she’d get would be trusting that the brunette could protect her in any situation work put them in. But when it came to her protecting Chloe outside of work, well until this evening that thought hadn’t even crossed Chloe’s mind. Now she couldn’t imagine why she’d ever kept Rosie a secret from her before. She’d wanted to tell Beca about the five year old. They were put on so many jobs together that before, it took everything for her not to talk about what her daughter did at school the previous day, what her favourite food was or what song she’d just learnt to sing. She was besotted with her daughter, even five years on from her birth.

“I’m sorry you had to find out about her that way.” Chloe replied.

“It’s okay, I know about her now.” Beca said kindly, “And even better, I’ve been able to meet her. And eat her leftovers…”

Chloe felt a tired smile wipe over her face. Beca was being so nice. _Why_ was she being so nice? Chloe was nothing special. She was a single mum, very driven at work, very private about her life outside of work, very closed about her feelings, and very difficult to _like_ let alone love.

She watched Beca lean back into the sofa, her arm opening up as she gave the redhead another one of her warm, reassuring smiles, and before Chloe knew it she’d curled up into her. Her head rested in the crook of Beca’s armpit and chest and she felt the woman’s arm wrap around her, stroking the top of her arm gently while she let out a tired sigh. Bringing an arm out to wind around Beca’s stomach, Chloe closed her eyes as her colleague’s other hand glazed softly back and forth across her arm sending tingles down her spine.

These sort of cuddles she’d missed. Being curled up on the sofa, leaving the troubled world on the outside. The sort of cuddles that sent her off to sleep knowing that so long as she was with this woman she would be safe. And with one last sigh, she felt a comforting kiss on the top of her head before falling asleep.


	5. Part 5

Beca stared at the moving images on the TV. The ten o'clock news had been and gone, she sleepily changed the channel from one to another, trying her hardest not to wake the woman that slept against her. She froze for a moment as Chloe stirred in her sleep, the woman’s breathing pausing as she nestled further into Beca’s chest. A small smile wiped over Beca’s face as she looked down at her colleague. She looked so peaceful. So calm. And Beca was pleased that she could bring such a sense of security to her. As she glazed her hand thoughtfully over her arm, Beca gave up hope of finding any form of decent TV at the time of night it was and reluctantly settled for a shopping channel before placing the TV remote on the arm of the sofa. Seeing it made Beca smile, taking her back to an hour or so when she finally got hold of the remote after seeing it laying on the coffee table, taunting her with its presence.

_If she leant forward she’d wake her, if she moved her she’d wake her, if she just got up she’d wake her, if she used her foot to try and move the coffee table closer she’d wake her. Basically, Beca didn’t want to wake Chloe. But at the same time she wasn’t tired. She was bored. She’d stared at the clock for too long. It was nearing 9.45. Chloe had been asleep for over an hour, having finally relaxed into Beca’s hug. The awkward thing was that Beca’s arm that she had so affectionately wrapped over Chloe’s shoulder had now gone to sleep, but she really didn’t want to wake her. Chances were Chloe didn’t sleep well at the best of times, what if Beca ruined the woman’s only chance of a good night’s sleep?_

_Suddenly Beca heard a key unlock the front door quietly and a figure step into the house. She froze, her immediate reaction being to leap up and confront the intruder. But what sort of intruder would use a key? She strained her ears to listen for anything suspicious. Rosie was upstairs. Technically the little girl was safe. And Chloe was with Beca so she was definitely safe. But what if this person had a gun, or a knife or-_

“_Oh, hello.”_

_Beca’s heart rate eased a little as she saw the figure of a woman in her late fifties standing at the door of the living room whispering a surprised greeting. Her eyebrow’s were raised in a recognizable manner, a manner that reminded Beca of Chloe. Beca’s voice caught in her throat as she began to feel very nervous. She could only presume this was Chloe’s mother as there was no one else she could think of, and she wondered what the older woman could possibly say next.._

“_Not like Erin to have anyone round, particularly at this time of night…”_

Beca_ calmed as the woman’s initial shocked look eased into a friendly face and the ‘intruder’ waved at the brunette and kept her voice to a whisper as while spoke:_

_“I’m Ann, Chloe’s Mom. I suppose she’s told you nothing about me.”_

_The look on Beca’s face must have said it all, because Chloe’s Mom raised her eyebrows with a lack of surprise and shrugged a little before focusing her attention on her daughter. Beca found herself following her gaze, her smile remaining, proud that she had managed to make the woman they both stared at so calm and relaxed._

“_You must be doing something right.” Ann said in an amused tone, “My daughter’s not one for sleeping…suffers a bit from insomnia if you know what I mean.”_

_Beca’s heart dropped. If she couldn’t have felt anymore compassion for Chloe before, then she definitely felt it now. In the line of work they were in it wasn’t unusual to struggle to unwind after a difficult day at work. But insomnia suggested that Chloe had more on her mind than just work. That maybe she was afraid to fall asleep, in case something might happen if she did._

“_Here, have this. Just in case.”_

And Beca _ooked up from Chloe to see Ann holding out the TV remote towards her. Beca received it gratefully. There was this look the woman was giving her that she couldn’t quite understand, but she shrugged it off as Ann started to walk through to the kitchen, pausing before she did so:_

“C_an I get you a drink or anything? Afraid we haven’t got any wine, not used to having guests in this house you see.”_

Beca_ couldn’t help the smile on his face at Chloe’s Mom’s remark and shook her head. Ann couldn’t have subtle hinted more, that she was the first ‘stranger’ of Chloe’s she’d met in years, even if she tried. But Beca hesitated as she thought about it. She wasn’t Chloe’s. She wasn’t 100% sure if she even wanted to be Chloe’s. She wasn’t sure what she wanted. The older woman gave her a little thumbs up then motioned to the back of the house:_

“_Chloe probably wont mention it but I have my own little extension at the back of the house. It’s like my own little apartment so I wont disturb you any longer…?”_

_“Beca.”_

_She smiled as she filled in the gap the woman had left in the hope Beca might tell her her name. Ann seemed genuinely pleased to see her, and repeated her name as though it were a good one, as though it were one she didn’t want to forget in a hurry._

“_Beca. Well, nice to have met you Beca. Hopefully this wont be the last time eh?”_

_Beca nodded as the woman smiled before making her way to what Beca could only presume was her little apartment at the back of the house. She couldn’t help feeling happy at how well that little run-in had gone. Chloe’s Mom hadn’t got mad at her for pushing her way into her daughter and granddaughter’s lives, that she was still in the house late into the evening, that she was lounging about staring longingly at the blank TV screen. She’d just embraced Beca’s presence as though she were relieved her daughter may have finally found someone to love and someone who could love her back…_

The house was silent apart from the low sound of the presenter desperately trying to sell a piece of valuable jewellery on the shopping channel that Beca had lazily put on as a last resort. The room felt cold as a draft emanated from somewhere, and the only part of her body that felt warm was the right half of her body, the part that Chloe had been curled up against for the past three hours. She could feel Chloe begin to stir again, and a smile crept onto her face as she felt her colleague’s head rise from her stomach slightly. Her red hair had become ruffled on the part of her head that’s she’d rested against Beca’s head and she furrowed her brow in confusion as she spoke in a quiet groggy voice:

“When did you put the TV on?”

“When your Mom came in and handed me the remote…”

Beca noticed Chloe’s hesitation at the mention of her mother and wasn’t quite sure if she was pleased about her colleague meeting another important member of her family or not. Beca looked down as Chloe rubbed her eye with the hand that had been wrapped around the brunette’s stomach exposing it to the chill of the room they sat in.

“…She was very nice,” Beca added, “handed me the TV remote, offered me a drink, mentioned there was no wine…”

Chloe turned a little pale as her sentence trailed off, and Beca watched as her brow furrowed slightly again while she made her way through another thought process:

“But Mom normally doesn’t get back from bingo until 9.30.”

Beca watched as she looked up at her inquisitively. She still couldn’t shrug off the great feeling she had, knowing that Chloe wasn’t making any attempt to move her arm from around her shoulder, or to sit up and remove herself from her side. Beca had really enjoyed her first proper experience of being “curled up on the sofa in front of the TV together”, something her sister had always said was her favourite thing to do with her husband. Beca knew that what she was about to say would shock Chloe, that it would end this perfect evening quite quickly, but the smile still remained on her face:

”It’s quarter past eleven.

And just as she’d predicted, Chloe sat up with a jolt, her head quickly darting in the direction of the kitchen clock that proved Beca been telling the truth. She looked back at her, and to Beca’s surprise her face turned apologetic as she stood up from the sofa:

“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep. I should’ve let you leave as soon as you’d put Rosie to bed.” she rambled, tired and becoming surprisingly anxious, “I’m so sorry Beca…”

Beca stood up rather quickly, surprised at how quickly Chloe could change, this time into an apologetic wreck. Maybe this was a part of her insomnia? Perhaps she felt guilty if she slept, for some reason. With a heavy heart she followed the redhead as she made her way out of the living room and over to the front door. The lack of light meant that a streetlamp outside the house and the tv in the living room created only a dim outline for the two colleagues to see each other. Beca was glad for the hours she had had to look at Chloe this evening. To take in all of her details so that the parts of her features she couldn’t see in the dim lighting she could always fill in with her memory. Beca watched Chloe step slowly, anxiously from one foot to the other, a motion that stopped as soon as the brunette reached out and took her hands. She wanted to kiss her. She really, _really_ wanted to kiss her. But in less than ten hours time they would be at work together, trying to sort out another Government mess. She didn’t want to make a move that would risk Chloe never wanting to talk to her properly ever aga-

Beca’s brain stopped whirring. Her mind went blank. Whether it was just her exhausted body giving in she wasn’t sure, but as she felt Chloe’s lips land softly onto hers, she no longer cared. This kiss was better than she could’ve ever imagined. And it deepened. Beca wrapped her arms tightly around Chloe’s waist as Chloe wrapped her arms around Beca’s neck. Beca had _never_ had a kiss like this before. One with so much passion and emotion. One that meant so much. One that felt as though, if it were possible, fireworks would erupt from their bodies.

Chloe couldn’t help herself. She’d had to do it. The way Beca had calmed her, just by holding her hands… she didn’t want her to go. It was so unlike her to feel this way about anyone. She’d felt this way once before and it had been a mistake. She’d been betrayed, lied to, deceived. And ever since then she’d vowed never to be hurt like that again. To never feel that way about _anyone_ again. To never let anyone into her life like that again. Because in the end she needed to protect Rosie as well as herself. But Beca… she hadn’t asked any questions. She hadn’t asked anything of her. She’d just been there. She’d made her feel safe enough to reveal her true emotions, made her calm enough to fall asleep - something she’d struggled to do properly for years. Kissing was an unusual sensation to her as she hadn’t kissed anyone in a long, _long_ time. She felt the kiss soften again, neither daring to pull apart bringing them back to reality. Chloe brought her hands down to Beca’s hips as Beca brought her hands up to her cheeks and gently caressed them until they both needed to breathe oxygen once more, so reluctantly pulled apart. Chloe bit her lip nervously, relieved to see in the dim light that Beca was smiling and she couldn’t help but smile nervously back.

“Thanks for dinner.” Beca mumbled, her hands having found their way down to their sides to gently take hold of Chloe’s.

“Thanks for staying.” Chloe replied in a soft tone.

The two paused, both rather reluctant to let go of each other’s hands. The moment was interrupted by a loud meow coming from the other side of the front door. Chloe looked at Beca guiltily as she reached past her and opened the front door. Beca watched in surprise.

“Oh yeah I forgot to mention,” Chloe said quietly, “we have a cat…”

Bec smiled widely as a short haired slender black cat scuttled into the house. She had a feeling she would never quite know _everything_ about Chloe. Well not all at once anyway. With one last glance at the woman beside her, she gave her that reassuring smile again,

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Yeah.” Chloe replied with a coy smile on her face, “See you in the morning.”


	6. Part 6

Beca looked up from her paperwork and watched as Chloe left their boss’s office. Her steely and unreadable expression was one that Beca was used to and that their colleagues _only_ knew. And it was present once again.

But after all that had happened yesterday with Rosie, those terrorists, and yesterday evening at Chloe’s house…Beca felt as though she knew more of the redhead now. And the kiss they’d shared had been beyond anything Beca could’ve hoped for after everything she’d done yesterday for the redhead and her five year old.

And as she’d laid awake all night, staring at her ceiling and replaying everything that’s happened that day in her head, Beca had eventually come to the conclusion that as amazing as that kiss had been, and as amazing as it had been to finally feel as though she belonged somewhere _with_ someone, there was no way Chloe would want to take it further. She just wouldn’t.

The woman was closed off for a reason. She kept her personal life separate from work for a reason. By dating Beca, she would end up mixing the two together. It wouldn’t be ideal in the slightest.

So Beca watched as Chloe stepped into the elevator of their department and pressed the top button. The one that would take her to the roof of their headquarters building. And after a couple of minutes, Beca decided she needed to know some answers - just so she could never wonder ‘what if’. Just so she could put whatever had happened between her and Chloe into a metaphorical box and hide it away, never to open again.

—

Chloe stood on the rooftop, looking out at the cityscape around her. The breeze whipped around her hair making her regret not tying it up today. She’d been a little too distracted with her thoughts this morning to remember to do her hair properly. It was uncharacteristic of her to forget. She wasn’t happy about it.

“How’re you doing?”

Chloe’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of a voice. _Beca’s_ voice. And she continued to stare out at the city scape. Not only had Beca been kind to her yesterday evening, but this morning the brunette even had the sense to realise that something wasn’t quite right with her. Had the sense to see if she needed to talk to someone.

It was alien for this to happen to Chloe. To have anyone care this much about her, even at work. She was too cold and distant for people to care usually. But Beca, for some strange reason, seemed to be the exception.

“How’s Rosie?”

The sound of her daughters name had Chloe’s stomach twisting slightly. She still wasn’t sure if she was okay with Beca knowing about her daughter. And if it had been twenty four hours ago she would’ve scolded Beca for saying her name or even enquiring about her. But a lot had happened and Beca was well within her rights to ask such a kind and simple question.

“She’s fine.” Chloe said, still unable to look at the woman who now stood beside her, also looking out at the cityscape, “I told her it was all a game.”

Chloe remembered it was one of the first things Rosie had asked about this morning. Why she’d got someone else to pick her up from school. Why Beca had met her at that person’s house and had sat with her before bringing her home. Rosie had asked a lot about Beca this morning, including why Beca wasn’t there when she woke up and when she would see Beca again. Chloe had said that she didn’t know. That much had been the truth. She still wasn’t sure if _she_ wanted to see Beca outside of work again. Bringing Beca further ‘into the picture’ only put Chloe at risk of getting closer to the brunette and as a result heightening the risk of losing someone she cared about if Beca were to get into trouble.

“Up until now she’s the only person I’ve never lied to.” Chloe added, revealing the true reason why she’s so conflicted at the moment.

“Come onnnnn,” Beca replied with a kind smile, looking at her colleague, hoping Chloe would look at her at some point, “you lie to her all the time.”

She watched as Chloe did in fact turn to look at her and the moment their eyes met, Beca’s heart skipped a beat. It’s how she knew that she had fallen for the redhead. It’s how she knew just how much trouble she’s in. Falling for her supervisor couldn’t be listed in the rule book as ‘okay’ or ‘allowed’.

Chloe is equally in trouble. Because she too felt an incredible urge to want to know Beca on a more personal level. On a more _intimate_ level. And although she frowned questioningly at the petite woman beside her, her stomach boasted a lot of butterflies bouncing off the walls of her insides as she looked into those deep blue eyes. Butterflies that raced harder as Beca gave her a lop-sided grin and raised her eyebrows.

“Santa Claus? The Tooth Fairy? The Easter Bunny?” Beca began, and a small smile spreaded on Chloe’s face as she rolled her eyes and looked back out at the cityscape, trying to build her walls back up. Beca noticed, her own smile having already fallen. But she didn’t stop looking at the redhead.

“You can always tell her what really happened when she’s older.” She suggested in a softer tone, and it’s this use of tone that seemed to help relax the supervisor’s shoulders somewhat.

They stood in silence; Beca looking at Chloe, Chloe looking at the city. Beca desperately wanting to speak to Chloe about their kiss last night. Chloe desperately wanting to speak to Beca about their kiss last night. Neither knowing where to begin or even if they _should_ begin.

So they didn’t. Instead Beca took a deep inhale of breath through her nose, glancing briefly at the cityscape. Then with a curious smirk, she looked to Chloe once more:

“So…” she began, and Chloe is surprised by the playful tone, “if Rosie’s the only person you’ve never lied to…” Chloe turns to look at Beca and enjoys the way her colleague has now switched-up the tone of the conversation. Beca looked playful, and for once Chloe actually liked that in someone, “…that means you’ve lied to me.”

Beca watched in delight as a small smile crept onto Chloe’s face. An _amused_ one. Which meant she was doing it! She was cheering Chloe up by being funny.

Her heart stopped momentarily as Chloe turned her whole body to face Beca, then rocked back and forth a couple of times on her heels:

“Gotta keep you on your toes.” Chloe purred, giving Beca a quick wink and a flirty smile, before slowly walking away.

Beca watched her go with a huge grin on her face. Was it on? Were they about to embark on a very fun and likely confusing game of flirty banter during working hours leading to potential romance?

“You’re not being paid to stand around, Mitchell.” Chloe called out to Beca in a serious tone, though a tiny smile poked in the corners of her mouth as she stood by the fire exit ready to go back inside the building, “Let’s get hunting some more terrorists.”

And Beca tugged her bottom lip between her teeth in a failed attempt to hide her smile. Then she did as she was told, making her way over to her supervisor who stood by the door waiting for her.

“Sorry boss.” Beca mumbled, and she caught a twinkle in Chloe’s eye as she walked past her and into the building.

“You will be.” she heard Chloe mutter in response in a playful tone, and it had Beca’s stomach twisting with excitement.

This was going to be fun..


End file.
